BETTER HUMAN BEINGS??????

While thousands of well meaning people like us continue to vociferously voice our protests and sense of outrage at the rather sorry state of affairs that has befallen the women of this country, sadly, the spurt of crimes against women continues unabated........


Three more such instances of crimes against women have been reported across various twenty four hour English News Channels between last night and this afternoon, the first of which involves a twenty year old BPO employee being mercilessly stabbed to death by her stalker and childhood friend in a prominent East Delhi market, the second being reported in Uttar Pradesh's Fatehpur district where the local police and government doctors have contrived to conveniently let off the prime or main accused in the gory gang rape and murder of a eight year old........

And the third occurring in our very own Hyderabad where a twenty three year old woman was found dead in her male friends' house early this morning, the local police are on the lookout for the elusive male friend as he is the only one who can shed further light on this matter and are yet to rule out the possibility of there being a sexual connotation to this seemingly senseless crime.........

These repeated instances of crime against women not only sicken, horrify and dismay me no end, but leave me pondering over the fact whether we can initiate the now defunct practice of community police that was an integral part of my growing up years in New Delhi.........

I still remember those heady days fondly where I used to traverse the length and breadth of G block in Kalkaji for close to six hours every night for the best part of three weeks and more in an effort to ensure the safety and security of my Sikh brethren from the wiles of the marauding anti Sikh mobs who had vowed to finish off every Sikh residing in Delhi in the aftermath of then prime minister Indira Gandhi's assassination........

One wonders why that feeling of community and brotherhood is conspicuous by it's absence in these troubled and turbulent times when it is most required; to talk about myself, I live in a block of flats overwhelmingly inhabited by Telugus or people hailing from this region and am branded as a madman, rabble rouser and troublesome element whenever I broach the topic of ushering in a sense of discipline and community feeling that puts the country and society before self for the very reason that I am an "outsider" and hence deserve to be ostracised and isolated.........

How can an Indian be an "outsider" in one's own country, this feeling of isolation and growing alienation is what is driving residents from the north east, Kashmir valley, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and such other states into the clutches of maoists, naxalites separatists and terrorists and also contributing to this growing menace of crimes against women in no small measure as thirteen and fourteen year old girls are first sexually assaulted by area commanders before being drafted as loyal foot soldiers of the womens' Dalams or units...........

We may have giant strides in the economic sphere and may certainly be leading more affluent and prosperous lives vis a vis our parents and older generations, but have we even become even half the human beings that they are, how can we loose out on this feeling of community, brotherhood and country in a period just over a quarter of a century????, have we been blinded by the lure of the lucre and mammon to this extent that we have chosen to bypass our humanistic tendencies and conveniently put them on the back burner in order to amass tonnes of wealth at the cost of others..........

Friends, our government has conveniently barricaded itself from our very voices, needs, hopes, aspirations and expectations from them and more or less asked us to fend fro ourselves as they are obsessed with the idea of plundering the country and amassing gargantuan personal fortunes at the cost of the lives of the teeming millions who inhabit this vast country; so come forward, say to hell with this government, be the change in a seemingly hopeless and indifferent system that has insulated itself from the very citizens who created it in the first place............

Your country, neighbourhood and society, sisters, mothers and female friends need you, step forward, take pride in being an exemplary human being and a manifestation of all that the good lord really wanted us to be when he created us as his shadow and imprint on this planet, let's awaken the human being in us and reach out to all those who need us as this is the very least that we can do for the betterment of the country, society and ourselves...............

CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION?????

Frankly, what are we celebrating on this last day of 2012, while girding our loins to welcome 2013 with a resounding cheer, the fact that we have failed miserably in the quest to make our nation a safe haven for our womenfolk or the fact that our elected representatives have made a mockery of our due and valid concerns and laugh their heads off at our seemingly mindless antics of conducting candle light vigils and raising a hoarse hue and cry about justice that does not seem to have reached the ears of the people who really seem to matter........


Our elected representatives continue to mock our women some terming them as "highly dented and painted", some questioning the very need to provide them with mobile phones, while some other seemingly enlightened Netas blame women for bringing the heinous crime of rape unto themselves by wandering around on the streets after sunset and dressing in a manner that supposedly arouses the baser instincts in the hearts and minds of menfolk who prowl the streets at that inopportune time.........

One's eyes and heart is filled with unshed tears, profound sorrow and a growing sense of disenchantment and angst against a system that seems to be getting indifferent and callous to the plight of 50% of our population with every passing minute; are we celebrating the fact that seven rapes have been reported across various news channels and news papers between yesterday night and this morning......

Or then are we celebrating the fact that the men in khakhi who are supposed to protect and secure us are becoming increasingly predatory and go on around raping those brave women who venture into police stations to report the calamity that has befallen them, if you still do not understand what I mean then please do read this morning's Hyderabad edition of the Times of India that carries within it the harrowing and heart rending plight of a 24 year old married woman who was incarcerated and repeatedly raped by a constable attached to a police station in Vijaywada before fleeing and narrating her sorry tale to higher ups in the police department who were sufficiently moved to launch a manhunt for the alleged assailant after hearing her sorrowful plight.........

One has really begin to wonder whether there is indeed a silver lining to this dark cloud that seems to be getting darker with every passing minute, the conviction rate in all rape cases brought up before all relevant courts within the country stands at an appalling 16%, rapists are let off on the flimsiest pretexts like being in an inebriated condition while having committed the crime and therefore not in complete control of their senses or then on the pretext that their trial period exceeded the maximum period of their incarceration for the crime committed by them.........

And last but not the least, if the rapist is convicted by a court of law and accorded the death penalty for having committed a heinous crime that falls under the "rarest of rare" category, then their death sentence is commuted to a life sentence by a president who is opposed to the death sentence as a matter of principle and therefore her principles take precedence over the plight of some unfortunate women who have been subjected to this most inhuman of crimes..........

Or then are we celebrating the proud fact that global human rights watchdog Amnesty International has come to the conclusion that 81% OF ALL MARRIED INDIAN MEN RAPE THEIR WIVES EVERY NIGHT, OR THEN THE EVEN MORE GLARING FACT ALMOST 85% OF ALL FEMALE CHILDREN BELOW THE AGE OF 10 ARE EITHER RAPED BY A BLOOD RELATIVE OR THEN A PERSON WHO IS CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH THEIR FAMILY......

We indeed have numerous reasons to celebrate, so do let's go around getting ourselves drunk, grope and molest women as our chances of getting convicted are almost one in one and a half crore, as for women do their feeble and increasingly isolated voices really matter; they are nothing more than our chattel and household articles and we exclusively reserve the right to denegrate and misuse them in any manner we deem fit as the Mahabharata and other such religious texts have bestowed this right unto us..........

Tarry for a moment and spare a thought for the grotesque and increasingly ugly plight of our womenfolk, spare a though for the very fact that the dismal plight that befell Nirbhaya, Amanat, Damini or whatever else you prefer to call the brave heart who succumbed to her grievous injuries after a titanic thirteen day struggle could just have easily befallen your sister or female relatives; so let's stop fooling ourselves, conveniently brushing inconvenient facts under the carpet, look at ourselves long and hard in the mirror and rededicate ourselves to the noble cause of making 2013 the year of zero rapes as this would indeed be the most telling homage to the brave heart who rekindled our sleeping consciences and made us question our motives in the first place................

LIGHT A CANDLE!!!!!!!!!

Let us all light a candle in our hearts and minds in memory of the brave heart Nirbhaya, Amanat or Damini or whatever else you prefer to call her as she departed from this living hell earlier this morning leaving us all with tears in our eyes, a prayer on our lips and heads bowed in shame pondering over the thought that can we indeed do more to ensure the safety and security of our womenfolk.........


I did not know the 23 year old young lady who lost her valiant struggle for life in a Singapore hospital earlier today but still feel that I have indeed lost my younger sister, a younger sister who has fallen prey to the clutches and barbaric tendencies of a group of six demons who looked upon her as just another body to be preyed upon and destroyed in their unceasing quest for male domination and a age old reprehensible tendency of wanting to put women in their seemingly rightful place........

So much for the six perpetrators who know find themselves saddled with a murder charge around their neck, what about the numerous politicians who encourage such people with their highly sexist and derogatory references to women at any and every given occasion and a police force that is so very sexist, demeaning and derogatory in it's demeanour and body language that women prefer not to take recourse to them for the fear of being further ostracised and victimised; will the politicians and policemen in question ever be brought to book and punished under the relevant/applicable sections of the Indian penal code.........

Every improvement begins at home and every journey of a thousand miles gets under way with a solitary step, I am taking this step by pledging that I will not rest until I feel that I have done my bit towards making my neighbourhood, immediate vicinity and every other place I frequent a far more safer and secure place for our womenfolk.......

This fire used to burn within me unabated when I was younger, and I have taken up cudgels for seemingly ungreatful folks who used and discarded me the minute they achieved their narrow, sectarian end; but I will not let this deter me from my avowed goal and will certainly contribute my mite to this noble cause no matter what......

Yes, our system has let us down again as it it's wont, so let's stop blaming it and casting aspersions on it and become the change that we want to see in the system as a refreshing change; yes all of us can make a difference as guided, cohesive and cogent force; so do go out there and make yourself counted.............

A SAD DAY INDEED!!!!!!!

Today is indeed a black, deeply saddening and heart rending day in the history of this 65 odd year old nation as the brave heart Nirbhaya, Amanat or Damini as you may like to call her has passed away after a thirteen day long valiant struggle with death leaving us all deeply ashamed and questioning our motives and actions as members of a species called human beings.........


A part of us all of us has died today and I truly feel that my sojourn on planet earth has indeed been reduced by a significant margin in her passing, but above all I feel a deep sense of remorse, outrage and anger at myself, our apathetic system, hypocritical society and above all unresponsive government that is more interested in raising barricades and insulating itself from the voices and thoughts of the man on the street rather than addressing their concerns and making this country a safer place for 50% of it's citizenry.........

All of us are equally responsible for the fate that has befallen this brave heart; our families and societal system largely for having failed to inculcate the right value system and ideals into the hearts and minds of our menfolk and encouraging them to rape and pillage their female counterparts rather than desisting from such heinous and barbaric tendencies as rape and sexual subjugation is just yet another manifestation of the supposed male superiority over the commonly perceived weaker sex and hence perfectly acceptable and justifiable..........

The police, government and bureaucracy, for taking us for granted and conveniently brushing crimes against women under the carpet as women per se did not constitute a significant vote bank which could sway the fortunes of candidates in an election and could hence be conveniently side stepped at the altar of expediency........

The men and women in khakhi for enacting the roles of demons and exploiters rather than the roles of protectors and benefactors entrusted to them by both the society and the system as a whole; infact, so callous and indifferent are our policemen and women to the plight of victims of sexual assaults that more than 60% of them do not even venture into police stations to register and record their sordid and sorry sagas as they are well acquainted with the fact that they will be subjected to an interrogation and ordeal that is as heinous and heart rending as the crime that has been perpetrated against them...........

The judiciary and former president of India haven't exactly covered themselves in glory in this regard as the judiciary has only succeeded in sending less than 25% of the perpetrators of such crimes either behind bars or then the gallows as the case may be and that too after a span of three years or more having elapsed after the filing of the First Information Report or FIR in the respective case; the lesser said about our former president Pratibha Devisingh Patil, the better, as she commuted the death sentence given to approximately 32 such rapists to a lesser life sentence for reasons known to her alone.........

Friends, the time for chest beating, finger pointing and fault finding is well past us and the time to act as a cohesive and unified force that sends out the unequivocal message of thus far and no further to the political class is upon us; raise your voices in unison so that they are resoundingly heard in the corridors of power; tell the government that we will not be satisfied by mere words, gestures, plaudits and assurances and that we need to see steps on the ground and concrete action being taken to ensure the safety and sanctity of women in this hallowed land that worships women and raises temples in their honour...........

Demand harsher, stricter and more punitive laws that put the fear of the lord in the hearts and minds of both active, passive as well as wannabe rapists, ask for a system that makes both the police and judiciary responsive to our needs and changing social idioms and realities, and last but not the least let the change begin from within our very homes so that the Indian women not only feels safe and sound, but is reassured about the fact that India is indeed the land where she can nurture her dreams, aspirations and contribute equally to it's development and rosy future...........


 

FRIDAY MUSINGS.........

Will some of our placard waving female politicians give up their thoroughly undeserved security apparatus and paraphernalia at long last and deploy these personnel where they are needed the most; in the service of the common man, or then was this just yet another photo opportunity and yet another cruel joke played on an unsuspecting and trusting AAM AADMI???????????


Why does divine wisdom and hind sight always dawn upon our politicians and so called protectors after the event has passed; haven't they ever heard of the dictum about prevention being better than the cure????????

Indeed heartening to see Delhiites shrugging off their indifference and lethargy for once and congregating on the streets to clamour for their constitutional and human rights..........   one really wonders whether the almighty is on the side of all those who need him the most or then on the side of those demented souls who take pride in tormenting and torturing their fellow beings; awaiting your answer to this query post haste, lord almighty...........   Yuvraj Singh selflessly dedicated his man of the match award to the brave heart valiantly battling for her life in a Delhi hospital, will our politicians take a leaf out of his book and dedicate at least 5% of their ill gotten wealth to the victim's family??????   DELHI: the crime and rape capital of the country; MUMBAI: the greed and inequality capital of the country, what next????? BENGALURU: the garbage capital of the country????????   DELHI POLICE: always in cahoots with thieves, rapists and other such exalted elements and solely dedicated to providing them with exemplary service.........   Strange indeed are the ways of the Delhi police they shower their "annadatas" with water cannons and lathis and protect their tormentors and exploiters with all the force at their might.....   With Sheila Dikshit, Sushil Kumar Shinde and others of their ilk being the almighty in all rape cases perpetrated in Saddi Dilli in the recent past..........   The Almighty does indeed work in mysterious ways; he condones the rape of innocent women and also allows the accused to go free in almost 85% of such cases........

CASTRATE ALL RAPISTS..........

India and Indians seem to have woken up at long last if the spontaneous protests that have broken out in support of the twenty three year old gang rape victim valiantly fighting for her life in the capital's Safdarjung Hospital are indeed any yardstick to go by.......


Let's tell the politicians and all their cohorts that we indeed mean business this time around and will not be swayed by mere platitudes, promises, hosannas, rhetoric, and noble intentions that seldom amount to anything concrete......

Chemical castration for first time rapists, permanent or then irreversible castration for repeat offenders and bobbitization if need be is what we are going to settle for, nothing more, nothing less, all rapists should be tried in fast track courts expressly meant for this very purpose and sentences should be pronounced on the guilty within a maximum time frame of ninety days from their date of arrest......

A minimum sentence of ten years and a maximum of life without parole or remission is what we are looking at and demand that the sexual crimes bill that has been put in cold storage is brought out of the deep freeze and passed forthwith during the course of the impending budget session of parliament.........

The death sentence could be a suitable deterrent in the rarest of rare cases like the case that is occupying the hearts and minds of all Indians at present and while one does indeed agree with the dictum that "an eye for an eye will indeed make the whole world go blind", an effort to insert iron rods in the rectums of the six monsters who perpetrated this despicable crime might indeed act as a salve to the wounds inflicted on the twenty three year old brave heart who is the living embodiment of courage and determination.......

Let's all seize this moment, because the same will never ever come around in this lifetime or indeed the next, let's all make concerted efforts towards coercing the political class into doing our bidding as they are meant to do and not enacting laws that serve their narrow sectarian ends of exploiting and depraving us as is their wont........

India and Indians, arise, awake and make your voice heard, the moment to seize the reins of control is well upon us, so let's all unite and show the rest of the world and our politicians that the Indian citizen is indeed a force to be reckoned with.........

VICTORY AT PUNE........

Team India achieved some measure of redemption at long last by comprehensively beating the English Lions in the first of two twenty 20 internationals at the picturesque Subrata Roy Sahara stadium in Pune.......


The Indian victory was almost solely based on the sterling efforts of the "pied piper of Punjab", Yuvraj Singh who shone both with the ball as well as bat and almost singularly put paid to the English aspirations of registering yet another facile victory against a seemingly beleaguered team India.......

Yuvraj first put the brakes on the rampaging English duo, Alex Hales and Luke Wright by bowling the former of the inside edge of his swashbuckling blade and having the latter handily caught at long off by Ajinkya Rahane, but Yuvraj was still not finished and added yet another feather to his already overcrowded cap by removing the English skipper Eoin Morgan for a paltry individual total of 5..........

His best ever twenty 20 bowling figures of 3/19 off four overs largely put paid to the English hopes and aspirations of registering a mammoth total in excess of 175 and kept them to a manageable 157; the rampaging Punjabis' swashbuckling blade almost took team India to a heady victory and his savage assault on the hapless English bowlers was ended by a supremely judged catch by Stuart Meaker on the square leg boundary........

Yuvraj was well supported in his efforts with the bat by Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni all of whom registered individual totals in excess of 20; mention should surely be made of an exhilirating fielding display put up by team India that was not only breath taking to behold, but also saved them a good 15-20 runs on the field........

Well, team India did indeed register a comprehensive victory over the Englishmen for a change but their bowling related head aches continue to persist as all the other bowlers who displayed their wares on the evening with the notable exceptions of Yuvraj Singh and Ashoke Dinda were indeed taken for plenty by the England batsmen..........

Dhoni seemed to have reached the end of his tether within the first eight overs of the game and had already tried seven different bowlers by then before Messrs Singh and Dinda provided him with welcome relief and succour, well all's well that ends well, but team India will certainly have to sort out their bowling related head aches in the very near future if they hope to stop the Pakistanis in their tracks...........

END THIS BLAME GAME!!!!!!!

It is all too easy to say that an eye for an eye will only end up making the whole world blind and that two wrongs do not make a right, but has anybody indeed paid heed to the plight of a hapless family that pledged it's life savings to educate their daughter who is fighting a valiant battle for life in the capital's Safdarjung hospital, thanks to the heinous tendencies of six men who knew no better.........


It is all too easy to blame the system, politicians, inadequate and highly erratic public transportation system, chief and home minister and so and so forth, but what about those mothers and educators who failed to inculcate the right ideals, morals and values in the hearts and minds of these monsters, should they not be take to the task along with the above mentioned notables........

While there is certainly no denying the fact that our system is indeed rotten and well beyond redemption, the root of the rot lies within our family and social structure that perpetrates this age old myth of "male superiority" and propagates the long held belief about the male being the superior sex who has the god given right to lord over the supposedly weaker sex........

Charity begins at home, or so many a wise man who has preceded yours truly has said , well I would like to take this opportunity of amending this age old dictum by saying that education begins at home and not in schools as many of us have conveniently come to believe, end this reprehensible tendency of treating your male offspring and husbands as first amongst equals, accord equal opportunities to your female progeny.....

Educate them, guide them, teach them the difference between a seemingly appropriate and inappropriate affectionate gesture, educate them on the need to raise a hue and cry at the first apprehension of impending danger, empower them by acquainting them with their constitutional rights, guarantees and safeguards provided to them by this remarkable document, provide them with pepper sprays and other such self defence mechanisms and do extol the virtues of self defence techniques as they will stand them in good stead..........

Safety always lies in numbers so inculcate in them the need to stay close to the herd at all times, while, I have always been a staunch proponent of the theory of I, me and myself, I do not doubt the veracity of the safety in numbers theory, feed the numbers of the nearest police station, essential helplines and police control room on your mobile phones speed dial and use them as and when needed..........

And even after all this you fail to uphold your honour and chastity, then publicly lynch the Sheila Dikshits' and Sushil Kumar Shinde's so that they experience the pain and horror of the much abused "Aam Aadmi" first hand.............

FAREWELL RICKY PONTING??????

The curtains may have well and truly come down on Ricky Ponting's test career with his repeated failures to get runs against the number one test team in the world (South Africa) on their tour down under......


The Aussies are ruthless when it comes to judging the worth of their cricketers and their place in their side, perform or perish is their mantra, and there is no scope whatsoever for sloppiness or silly sentimentality........

Ponting may well find himself falling by the wayside unless he sees the reading on the wall and either announces his immediate retirement from the longest form of the game at the conclusion of the second test or then at the end of the ongoing test series.......

Will a certain 39 year old Indian cricketer who is well past his prime take a cue from this enfant terrible of Australian cricket or then continue with his nocturnal tendency of depriving a deserving youngster of a much desired place in the Indian test eleven on the basis of past laurels and glories......

The writing's very much on the wall too see, pity our cricketers conveniently develop partial blindness every time the writing comes up before them.........

IS THIS HOW WE TREAT OUR WAR HEROES???

IS THIS HOW WE TREAT OUR WAR HEROES??????


One just witnessed the rather heart rending and sorry spectacle of a NSG commando and hero of the tumultuous events that unfolded on the night of 26/11 in the maximum city narrating his litany of woes and berating the callous system that has left him to fend for himself........

The hero in question is one Surender Kumar a former NSG commando and integral part of the 26/11 operations, the very same person was critically wounded during the course of the operation, underwent the prescribed course of treatment at various government hospitals and was conveniently dismissed form service by his employers who deemed him to be medically unfit for active duty and operations........

Mr. Kumar claims that he was made to run from pillar to post in order to get recourse to the pension that was his just due and the very same has not been forthcoming for the last year and more for reasons best known to the authorities........

He also goes on to say that he was the sole earning member of the family and that his wife and progeny are dependent on him for their livelihood, he somehow managed to tide over this period of crisis thanks to the timely help rendered by a few good samaritans, but is now being denied the reimbursement of the expenses incurred by him during the course of these fateful 13 months by the Central Government Health Scheme officials on the flimsiest of grounds.........

The grounds on which his claims for reimbursement were rejected indeed have to be heard to be believed and those grounds were that he had neither informed the CGHS authorities before embarking on this course of treatment nor sought the required permissions in this regard at their end........

Surender Kumar's rejoinder to this absurd rejection is both topical as well as coldly logical, according to him the CGHS card came his way around six to seven months back and therefore where was the need and occasion to seek the necessary permissions and information that the CGHS authorities are seeking from him........

This war hero also goes on to narrate how his efforts to seek requisite information about the number of wounded and dead during the course of the very same operation and monies collected from various sources and disbursal of the same to the families of the dead and wounded were repeatedly stonewalled by the NSG higher ups despite the said information being sought under the purview of the much touted right to information act..........

While one may tend to give the system and the NSG higher ups the benefit of doubt on the grounds that these claims may indeed be motivated and a gross exaggeration if the real version of events the fact remains that we are indeed highly callous in our treatment of our war heroes and tend them to take them for granted more often than not...........

The very least that the government of the day and the system can do is to give this war hero the requisite details of the issues dear to him and issue an enquiry into the rather serious allegations levelled by him against the NSG authorities by either a sitting or retired high or supreme court judge so that the truth can be brought out in this case and the findings of the one man commission could also help in setting right the anomalies that have crept in within the system during due course of time........

WAR HEROES ARE INDEED A PRECIOUS COMMODITY AND NEED TO BE HANDLED WITH DUE CARE AND DILIGENCE, failing which this already highly endangered species might indeed become extinct and look us groping for grossly unsuitable alternatives whenever their services are required the most..............

ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND IT"S SELF STYLED DEFENDERS>>>>

One simply fails to understand the hullabaloo or consternation raised by self styled or proclaimed defenders of human rights who have taken unto themselves the unseemly burden of defending the rights of fornicators, rapists, mass murderers, paedophiles, bride burners, naxalites and other such illustrious beings who are hell bent upon destroying the very last vestiges of humanity from this hallowed planet.......


I would simply like to take this opportunity of asking these self proclaimed champions of human rights a few valid questions pertaining to the victims of these seemingly inhuman terrorists or merchants of death who go around killing people with impunity as if the same was a god given right bestowed on them by some divine power who speaks to them in a deathly lingo that only they can decipher.......

These very same champions of human rights and so called defenders of democracy raise a hue and cry whenever there is an incident of naxalites being eliminated in police strikes, but, conveniently look the other way whenever scores of policemen are massacred as ultras and simply wish away these deaths as the spoils of war, why aren't the policemen human and don't they enjoy the same rights enjoyed by these enemies of the nation, or then does anybody and everybody waging a war against the nation deserve a special status in your jaundiced opinion.........

Kasab and others of their ilk are simply tools and implements in the hands of merchants of death who are hell bent upon destroying the last traces of the very existence of a country called India from the world map and pray tell me why didn't you cry yourself hoarse and raise a whimper of protest against the needless deaths of martyrs like Tukaram Ombale, Vijay Salaskar and others who were victims of Kasab's blood lust.......

The fact of the matter is that Kasab and others like him deserve no mercy whatsoever and should have simply been tried as a war criminal as he did commit the unpardonable crime of waging war against the Indian state, the credit if any for giving him a fair trial and due opportunity of defending himself should go the robust and impartial Indian judicial system that accorded this butcher the privilege of lingering on for four long years even after executing scores of innocent Indians........

Please for your sake as well as the sake of humanity as a whole, get your priorities and facts right and start lionising victims of terrorism and naxalism instead of the perpetrators of these spine chilling crimes against humanity..............

WEDNESDAY RAMBLINGS...........

I have often times heard wannabe politicians make lofty promises about turning the stinking metropolis of Mumbai into a Shanghai and a sleepy old Gurdaspur time and again, well the reality is for all to see, Mumbai is certainly a far cry from the promised Shanghai and Gurdaspur continues to remain as backward as ever, yet we continue to elect and re-elect these very same politicians time and again, one wonders whether we need to set our sense of priorities right and get our heads examined just before the onset of an election..........

Our sense of justice has to be seen in order to be believed, a certain Mumbai based political outfit firstly justifies the arrest of two hapless twenty year old's who posted innocuous queries on their facebook pages about the veracity of Mumbai being shut down on account of a octogenarian's funeral and then lionise the objectionable antics of a group of lumpen elements who go about vandalising the orthopaedic facility of one of the girl's uncles, political wisdom and it's espousal????????

The Mumbai police's paranoia and sense of misplaced justice certainly seems to have come to the fore if their recent actions are any yardstick to go by, they firstly arrest two young 21 year old's for posting seemingly innocuous posts on their facebook accounts and subsequently announce a DIG level enquiry into the actions of the concerned officials........

The hallowed soil of Punjab beckons with it's pristine waters of five rivers and intoxicating smells of the soil and it's hearty people, well I am off on a week long sojourn of my karmabhoomi, wish you could join me on this journey of discovery and self realisation...........

With various political parties and religious groups having assumed the role of super censors unto themselves and raising increasingly whimsical objections about any and every film slated to hit the theatres, one really wonders whether the government of the day should disband the present censor board and appoint these self styled "enlightened" souls in their place instead..........

Dhoni certainly needs to be put out to pasture because his raves and rants about rank turners have begun resembling that of a wailing banshee, it's good to be obsessed at the thought at avenging away defeats, or then should I say humiliations, but being obsessed to this extent does certainly raise doubts in one's mind about the said gentleman's sanity............

Shane Watson is all set to miss the second test in the ongoing home series against the Proteas on account of his failure to recover from an ankle injury, wonder what it is with this very same Mr.Watson and his remarkable propensity to break down just before the advent of any and every important home and away series.........

Just read a couple of facebook posts doubting the veracity of the Maharshtra government's version of events pertaining to Kasab's execution and citing Dengue related complications being the true reason behind his passing, well knowing the propensity of the present ruling dispensation to lying through it's teeth, only a rank fool would rule out the possibility of their basking in reflected glory..........

Ajmal Aamir Kasab's execution is being touted as a huge triumph in the continuing war against terror by the ruling political dispensation; well if hanging a foot soldier is indeed a huge triumph, why don't you lay your hands on Saeed Azhar, Tiger Memon and Dawood Ibrahim, thereby ending this war once and for all..........

24 hour English news channels have just put out the news about Pepsi Co. bagging the rights to be the title sponsors of the beleaguered IPL for the next five years; well Lalit Modi must certainly be shaking his head in consternation at their folly and having a hearty laugh at their obtuseness in this regard.........

Messrs Salman Khurshid, R.R. Patil and Prithviraj Chavan hail Ajmal Aamir Kasab's hanging as an epochal event and a reflection of their sincerity towards fighting the incessant war against terror; Whatever happened to a certain Afzal Guru, Bhullar and late prime minster Rajiv Gandhi's assassins???????

DEAR SHRI MSD..............

Dear Shri Mahendra Singh Dhoni,


Your recent statement demanding rank turners on which the balls starts turning square from day one onwards not only smacks of sheer arrogance, an abject lack of knowledge of how pitches are prepared, but above all misplaced and highly erroneous understanding of the hallowed cricketing concept titled "home advantage"........

Every side worth it's salt does definitely play to it's strength and does make an effort towards adding extra teeth to it's bowling attack by giving them the added advantage of favourable pitches, but, what you have failed to take cognisance of is the indisputable fact that these pitches are invariably sporting in nature and give both bowlers and batsmen an almost equal opportunity of coming out on top and not veritable minefields on which the batsmen are nothing more than sitting ducks........

Gone are those days when the Indian opening bowlers simply used to take the shine of the ball and then hand over the same to the spin quartet for further usage, neither does India have spin bowlers of the eminence, ability and sagacity of the famed spin quartet and neither are the present lot of medium pacers mere passengers whose primary job is to simply get rid of the shine on the red cricketing cherry........

You are also putting paid to the hopes and aspirations of both up and coming speedsters as well as those already operating on the cricket circuit with some distinction with your nonsensical demand as the dice is already heavily loaded against these pacemen on pitches that neither offer them pace of the deck nor sideways or lateral movement and by asking for rank turners you seem hell bent upon sounding their death knell and sending them into oblivion.......

Have you even spared a though about the repercussions that these rank turners are going to have on the careers of both present day as well as future Indian batsmen, Indian batsmen have more often than not struggled on seam and swing friendly pitches outside the subcontinent and you are only compounding their misery by exerting undue pressure on curators to produce rank turners in place of pitches that offer the barest hint of bounce and swing, thereby providing them with a heaven sent opportunity of acquitting themselves for sterner test ahead.........

The visiting England team also has in it's ranks a certain gentleman who answers to the name of Graeme Swann, well for your kind information, the very same Mr. Swann is arguably the best off spinner on the present day cricketing scene and may just prove to be more than a handful for the young Indian batsmen looking to cement their places within the team for the next five years and more............

Respected Sir, you would be better served by focussing your energies on honing your pathetic keeping skills and paying greater attention to collection as well as catching techniques and getting a batting clinic from master technicians of the likes of a certain Rahul Sharad Dravid and Sunil Manohar Gavaskar who are eminently capable of teaching you more than a thing or two about meeting the ball under your chin and the art of playing the ball with your bat and pad close together rather than the ungainly lunges and hideous swishes that seem to have become an integral part of your batting repertoire...........

Kindly justify your place in the side before beginning to make such outlandish demands as you have done little or nothing of note in the recent past that warrants your continuance in Indian test colours, the entire world and it's cousin is well acquainted with the fact that you owe your captaincy as well as place in the side to the benevolence of a certain Mr. N.Srinivasan, so don't perpetrate that widely held belief by repeatedly failing both as a captain as well as wicket keeper/batsman........

Raving and ranting is the exclusive domain od lunatics and loonies, so kindly leave these antics to them and concentrate your energies on furthering your cause unless you want to see your name added to the two afore mentioned ranks, as for the preparation of pitches, well the curators going around are more than eminently qualified to handle the same and certainly don't need unsolicited advice from a novice like you in this regard.........

Wishing you all the best in your future endeavours, I remain,

Yours Faithfully,

Sundeep Chopra,

an avowed Indian cricket fan...........

ON CHETESHWAR PUJARA.........

Here's why I feel that the new kid on the block, Cheteshwar Pujara can now stake a legitimate claim to being called the "natural" successor to a certain Rahul Sharad Dravid.............


# The Saurashtra run machine certainly has a calm head on his shoulders and does not get ruffled by the most trying of circumstances......

# His voracious appetite for runs certainly matches that of his illustrious predecessor, he averages in excess of 71 runs per innings after 6 test matches and this is just a precursor of things to come.......

# This humble unassuming lad is always looking out for former cricketers who can give him sage advice and pointers on how to go about conducting himself as a public figure, better his lot both as a batsman as well as cricketer and most importantly, has the mental acumen to separate the grain from the chaff..........

# The space between his ears is certainly rendering him yeoman's service, one can clearly see that his mind is constantly ticking and conjuring up newer and more innovative ideas about how to perfect his craft........

# He is a consummate team man and has always placed the interests of the team before his own.........

# Having risen from the ashes of virtual obscurity and coming from a humble background, this bloke is certainly well aware of the indisputable fact that this glorious game is his ticket to glory and personal grandeur.........

# Both his grandfather and father were first class cricketers who represented their state with a modicum of distinction and these cricketing roots only serve to keep him grounded and avoid the unnecessary complications arising from a swollen head.........

# A sound technique and impregnable defence are the foundation stones on which the edifice of his entire game are based, he eschews flamboyant strokes, cuts out all risks and simply goes about his job of scoring runs to the best of his ability.......

# He is a simple unassuming character who prefers to shun the limelight and remain in the background, he prefers to let his bat do the talking and shuns the pitfalls associated with making grandiose statements pertaining to oneself..........

# He more often than not is the first bloke to arrive at the nets or training sessions and invariably the last to leave and is well acquainted with the fact that he lacks the natural ability of some of his more illustrious team mates and thus has to run the proverbial extra mile in an effort to stay afloat in the increasingly competitive present day cricketing environment.........

# He is a self effacing bloke with the inherent ability to take criticism both warranted and unwarranted square on his chin, he is not given to violent reactions and uses every brick hurled at him as a stepping stone to glory and success.........

Ladies and Gentlemen; petticoats and pants, I hereby give you Cheteshwar Pujara, "the wall's" natural successor and a permanent fixture in all cricketing glories to come for the next decade and more........

MONDAY RUMINATIONS!!!!!!!!!

Apna Punjab Hovve, tambe de glass vich taazi, taazi lassi hove, gobi de parathey naal taaza makkhan hove, todi waala saag hovve, naal bhatti waala gur hovve, parivaar taa pind da saath hovve, Apna Punjab Hovve, Apna Punjab..........

will be in Apna Punjab between November 26 and December 2, ardently looking forward to satiating myself on Sarson da saag and makki di rotis cause' the same is bound to be the flavour of the season...........

One of my favourite ever persons' Sushmita Sen turns a year older and hopefully wiser on this fateful day; way to go, O! lady of substance, here's looking foward to seeing you in meaningful roles that indeed do you as well as your indomitable person complete justice..........

Trust controversy's favourite child Anuraag Kashyap to indeed put things in the right perspective; laughing off the film industry's predilection and fixation with flicks that earn Rs. 100 crore plus at the box office and turnstiles; Mr. Kashyap's take on the same is indeed priceless, "what is 100 crore, less than 20 million at today's exchange rates, hell Halle Berry, Demi Moore and Nicole Kidman take home all that and more after shooting for 90 days for a Hollywood flick".............

our sense of sycophancy and hero worship certainly takes the cake, if not the entire bakery, ageing warhorse Zaheer Khan delivers alleged thunderbolts at speeds between 125-135 kmph during the recently concluded Ahmedabad test and ends up snaring three English wickets in both innings, yesteryear cricketers and so called experts continue with their nocturnal tendency of anointing him with the dubious titles of "one of India's finest ever test bowlers" and "a jewel in the Indian cricket crown", I surely rest my case and leave you to draw your own conclusions...........

"Son of Sardaar" is fast heading towards the much coveted hundred crore mark if related media reports are indeed to be believed; sad commentary indeed about our sense of humour and the abysmal depths to which the same has plummeted........


Our definition of the word "secular" indeed seems derived from a sixteenth century dictionary; the term "secular" has come to mean something that requires permission from every self styled religious authority and entity before being released or disseminated in the public domain, do India and Indians really exist in the twenty first century????   More than twenty lakh Mumbaikars line the route of Balasaheb Thackeray's funeral procession and lakhs more throng Shivaji Park moments before his funeral pyre was lit; fitting answer indeed to all those who called this staunch patriot communal, one dimensional, a rabble rouser, anachronism from the past, doubters and self styled secularists, do wake up and smell the coffee........   Umpire Aleem Dar certainly needs a crash course on geometric angles and points of release; he steadfastly not outed appeals wherein the ball would have crashed bang into middle stump and gave hapless batsmen out when the ball would have missed the leg stump by the proverbial country mile........   Cheteshwar Pujara has not only made the country proud, but also drew comparisons with the incomparable Rahul Sharad Dravid; way to go Pujara, you'll certainly achieve a great deal by emulating the great man..........